IDENTIFICATION AND ASSESSMENT

🧐 Visual Analysis

**Gold:** Doesn't oxidize. A yellow shine even straight out of the ground. Heavy.
**Silver:** Turns black (sulfides) or grey in the ground.
**Copper:** Green (malachite) or brown ("chocolate") patina.
**Bronze:** Looks like copper, but harder, with a more attractive patina.
**Lead:** Heavy, grey, develops a white coating (oxide).
**Aluminum:** Light, white, oxidizes into a "powder."

Medieval Rus' (Scale Coins):

Tiny silver "seed"-shaped coins. The shape, the legend (inscription), and the weight all matter. The prince's name can be read on them.

Imperial Era (Copper/Silver):

Look at the emperor's monogram, the year, and the denomination.

*Example:* The "Catherine fiver" — a 5-kopeck coin of Catherine II, a huge, heavy coin.

Roman Coins:

The emperor's profile, Latin in the legend. Identified using catalogs (RIC).

*Authenticity:* Cast (fake) vs. struck (genuine). Check the coin's field under a magnifying glass.

**XRF analysis:** Spectral analysis of composition (available at pawn shops or museums).
**Hydrostatic weighing:** Determining density (Archimedes was right).